


Turning, Turning, Letting Go

by amaresu



Category: Sapphire and Steel
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-08-07
Updated: 2009-08-07
Packaged: 2017-10-02 11:25:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amaresu/pseuds/amaresu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How do you let go when all you want is to hang on?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Turning, Turning, Letting Go

**Author's Note:**

> Written for random_fic_is_random with [picture #4 as the prompt](http://random-fic-is-random.dreamwidth.org/2720.html). Death of a child is a major plot point.

_Eight more turns around the track._

"Where are we?" Steel asks as soon as they arrive. They're standing on a brightly painted train, slightly garish in his opinion.

"A train. In Florida. At a petting zoo. It's 2009, but also 2006," Sapphire says as she walks up the empty row. Two cars ahead there is a man sitting down with a small child next to him.

Steel frowns as he follows Sapphire towards the man, "There aren't any animals. Aren't petting zoos supposed to have animals?" Sapphire stops to look at the grounds around them and nods in acknowledgment. "What do you mean it's 2009 and 2006?"

_Seven more turns around the track._

They both pause at the sound of the voice coming through the speakers. It's twisted, as if a child had spoken into a recorder and then scratched the tape before replaying it. "It seems we are on a clock," is all Sapphire says before continuing to move to the man. "I meant that it is 2009, March 15th to be exact, but it's also March 15th, 2006. More importantly though it became more March 15th, 2006 once that voice spoke."

"The train is bringing the times together." Not the most unusual method Time had used, but disturbing nonetheless.

_Six more turns around the track._

They sit in front of the man when they reach him. Turning around it's easy to see that the child is a girl, he'd have to ask Sapphire to find out her age, but he thinks that she is young for a human. There's something odd about the way she looks, like a strong wind would tear her apart. Sapphire takes over the necessary introductions as he looks at the girl. "Hello, my name is Sapphire and this is Steel."

"Go away," the man says as he pulls the girl closer to him. It's then that Steel realizes he can see the seat through the girl.

_Five more times around the track._

"Sapphire, did you see that?" He questions once the voice stops it's count. The girl had become more solid as the voice spoke.

The man glares at them and puts an arm around the girl, "You can't take her away."

"We don't need to," Sapphire replies. "She's already dead."

"You can't bring people back to life." He will never understand the human obsession with holding onto those things that have past. If they would just let things go, let people die, these situations would never arise.

"You're wrong. I can bring her back." The man looks ready to jump out of his seat and attack them, but doing so would mean letting go of the girl.

"No, you can't." Or at least he must not be allowed to do so.

_Four more turns around the track._

"You're daughter is dead." Sapphire's voice is lacking in it's usual compassion, but they are stressed for time. "She died on March 15th, 2006. You need to let her go."

"It was an accident. I looked away for a second," the man breaks off as he chocks back tears. Steel glares at him to continue, they don't have time for his breakdown. "It was-it was just a second. I dropped the camera and when I looked up-"

"She had fallen over the side," Sapphire is looking at the window next to the man's seat now. "She climbed up onto the seat and fell out. She fell under the train and her neck broke."

_Three more turns around the track._

"It's just three more and then I can have her back." The man is cradling the girl now.

"No, you won't," Steel doesn't bother to conceal his irritation. They don't have time for this. "You won't get her back."

"It promised me!" The cry is half anger and half anguish.

Sapphire reaches out to him, but he flinches back from her hand. "It lied. That's what It does."

"What do you think will happen when we finish here?" The man shakes his head at the question, denying that there will be repercussions. "It's not doing this for you. It's using you to get what It wants."

_Two more times around the track._

"It will destroy you, what's left of your daughter, and everything else if you allow it to finish." The man continues to shake his head and a brief thought of just smashing the train to pieces crosses Steel's mind. It wouldn't work though, they don't have the time.

"What do you think will happen to all the other little girls out there once It's done?" The man looks at Sapphire as she asks the question. There are tears streaming down his face and Steel can see the gentle smile on Sapphire's face as she tries to reason with him. "It will destroy them. Destroy all the little girls like your daughter."

_One more turn around the track._

"What happened to your daughter was an accident, but what will happen to everyone else's daughters will be your fault." The man closes his eyes at Steel's declaration.

The man holds the girl tightly and kisses her head before nodding at them. Suddenly the train stops and the girl disappears. The paint on the train fades and chips, plant life overtakes the seats and tracks as the canopy fades. The man collapses against what remains of the wall crying.

Standing up they walk away. The break is sealed and it will not be opened again.


End file.
